A Thin Blueline

Washington won’t be in the market for any goaltenders this
summer, and the defensemen who would likely be solid additions in the District
are likely to command too much money to actually end up here.

This summer’s goalie market is actually somewhat decent.
There are actually two guys available who have won a Stanley Cup and another
who has backstopped his team all the way to the Cup final.

The 2013 backline crop is very much on the lackluster side.
Given that defensemen almost always get paid quarters on the dime in
summertime, you’re better off finding a more economical way of shoring up your
blueline. The defensemen who are available on the Free Agent Emporium’s nearly
barren blueline shelves this summer will get paid, though. They always do.

Defensemen accounted for nine of the 18 players who got a
compliance buyout this summer. Three of those blueliners were signed to those
deals in the summer of 2012, showing how quickly things can sour.

Here’s a look at this summer’s free agent goaltending and
blueline options:

Goaltenders

Dan Ellis, Carolina – Ellis had an opportunity to take the
reins for the Canes last season when Cam Ward went down with a midseason
injury. Alas, Ellis wasn’t up to the task. His brilliant 2007-08 numbers (.924,
2.34 and six shutouts) look like an outlier in light of the rest of his career,
and it’s difficult to envision the 33-year-old nailing down one of the 60 NHL
goaltending gigs for the upcoming 2013-14 season. He earned $800,000 last
season.

Ray Emery, Chicago – Ottawa’s fourth-round choice in the
2001 draft, Emery turns 31 on the eve of the 2013-14 season. He led the Sens to
the Cup final in 2007, winning 13 games with a 2.26 GAA in the playoffs that
spring. Because of injuries and other factors, Emery has not played even half
of his team’s games in any season since, bouncing to Philadelphia, Anaheim and
Chicago in the process. He posted a gaudy 17-1 record with a 1.94 GAA and a
.922 save pct. with the Hawks last season, ensuring that he’ll be seen in a new
light going forward. Philly’s terminal need for netminding is likely to lead
them to Emery’s door, but other clubs should have interest as well. Emery
should be able to command a hefty raise on the $1.15 million he was paid last
season.

Mathieu Garon, Tampa Bay – The 35-year-old Garon has been
knocking round the NHL since 2000-01, and he is now in similar straits to those
of Dan Ellis (see above). Garon had opportunities to carry the goaltending mail
for the Lightning in each of the last two seasons, but was not up to the task.
He will be hard-pressed to get another NHL deal, even as a backup. If he does
sign with an NHL club, it should be for about half of the $1.3 million he
averaged from the Bolts over the last two seasons.

Thomas Greiss, San Jose – Greiss has been an understudy in
San Jose for all or parts of four seasons now, accumulating 52 appearances and
some decent qualitative stats along the way. He earned just $587,500 for each
of the last two seasons, and should get a modest raise from a team looking for
a backup.

Johan Hedberg, New Jersey – Along with Martin Brodeur,
Hedberg formed one-half of one of the oldest goaltending tandems in NHL history
over the last three seasons. With Sunday’s acquisition of Cory Schneider from
the Vancouver Canucks, Hedberg became odd man out and was subsequently a
compliance buyout in New Jersey. He is 40 now and slipped in 2012-13 after two
decent seasons before that. This could be the end of the line for Hedberg, or
he could get a one-year deal for short money (less than the $1.4 million per
season his last pact called for) as a backup to a younger starter. Edmonton
seems like a possibility.

Nikolai Khabibulin, Edmonton – The Oilers have said they
won’t be bringing Khabibulin back and it’s certainly possible that the
40-year-old has seen the last of active duty in the NHL. He helped lead the
Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004, but hasn’t won 30 games in a season since
’02-03 and is 33-67-14 over the last four seasons, all with the Oilers.
Khabibulin did post a solid .923 save pct. in a dozen games last season, his
best mark of this century. If he does earn another contract, it will be for one
year and for a fraction of the $3.75 million he averaged over his last deal, a
four-year pact.

Anton Khudobin, Boston – After appearing in seven games over
his first three NHL seasons with the Wild and the Bruins, Khudobin was a
seldom-used backup in Boston last season. When he did draw a starting
assignment, he was effective, posting a .920 save pct. and a 2.32 GAA. Khudobin
could return to the B’s or he miht find work elsewhere in the circuit. Wherever
he lands, it will be for somewhere close to the $875,000 he averaged over the
past two seasons.

Jason Labarbera, Phoenix – The 33-year-old has been a backup
for four different NHL clubs over the years, getting into a career-high 45
games with the Kings in 2007-08. He settled in as the Coyotes backup over the
last four seasons and was reliable in that role. Teams seeking a veteran backup
will be looking into Labarbera and he could get a deal similar to the two-year
pact he just finished that paid him an average of $1.25 million per season.

Evgeni Nabokov, New York Islanders – When the Islanders
claimed Nabokov off waivers from Detroit early in 2011, the veteran Russian
netminder refused to report to the Island, drawing a suspension instead. He
later relented and has had a pair of solid seasons for the Isles since after a
year away from the NHL. Nabokov recently said that returning to the Island is
his first choice this summer, but he and the team have not been able to come to
terms. Philadelphia should at least kick his tires, and Edmonton and Calgary
may want to check him out as well. Even at 37, he may be able to match or
exceed the $2.75 million he was paid last season.

Jose Theodore, Florida – The ex-Caps goalie and former Hart
Trophy winner missed most of last season with a groin injury and will turn 37
before opening night. Theodore was reasonably good for the Panthers in 2011-12,
and he has expressed a willingness to return, albeit in a backup role. Wherever
he lands, he is likely to be a backup at this stage and to earn less than the
$1.5 million he averaged over his two-year deal with the Cats.

Tim Thomas, New York Islanders – Thomas never played for the
Islanders; he was sort of a placebo goalie obtained merely so that the frugal
Isles wouldn’t have to spend money on an “actual” player while still meeting
the NHL’s salary cap floor regulations. As Paul Simon once sang, “One man’s ceiling
is another man’s floor.” After a year of hibernating, the 39-year-old Thomas
has expressed an interest in returning to the NHL. He won the Conn Smythe and
the Vezina Trophy in 2011 and was still relatively solid the following season.
Teams in need of a starter could and will do a lot worse than Thomas. He
averaged $5 million a season over the last four campaigns, but may need to
settle for about half that amount and shorter term this time around.

Left Defensemen

Toni Lydman, Anaheim – A veteran of 847 NHL games, Lydman
turns 36 just prior to the start of the 2012-13 season. In his prime, he was
routinely a guy who would chip in 20 points and a few goals a season while
averaging 20 minutes or more a night. He has averaged fewer than 20 minutes a
night in three of the last four seasons, including each of the last two while
totaling no goals and 19 points over the last two seasons. Much of that decline
can be attributed to his usage, which has been almost entirely in a defensive
role. Coming off a three-year deal that paid him an average of $3 million
annually, Lydman can expect as much as a 50 percent salary cut. But he’s a
defenseman, and it’s July. So he could even get a raise.

Andrew Ference, Boston – The 34-year-old Ference has played
in 760 NHL games since breaking in with the Pens in 1999-00. He was a No. 3
defensemen for his first three seasons in Boston before dropping back to No. 5
for two seasons. Ference has been Boston’s No. 4 for each of the last two
campaigns. He’s solid if unspectacular and moderately physical. He skates well,
moves the puck efficiently and is dogged in 1-on-1 battles. The only real
question mark surrounding Ference is, how much longer will he be effective as a
No. 4? And the answer is: probably not as long as the contract he’s going to
get this summer. Ference earned an average of $2.25 million per season over the
last three seasons. I can see him getting another three-year (or more) deal for
around $3 million a season.

Ron Hainsey, Winnipeg – Hainsey was once a guy who would chip
in offensively but he has now gone two seasons without scoring a goal; some of
that decline is due to usage. He averaged nearly 23 minutes a night for the
Jets last season and was Winnipeg’s No. 3 in terms of ice time, also being the
Jets’ most frequently used penalty-killing blueliner. He is one of the more
underrated members of this summer’s class. Hainsey earned an average of $4.5
million a season over the life of his just-completed five-year deal. Expect him
to get paid a bit less ($3-4 million) this time around on a shorter term as
well.

Scott Hannan, Nashville – Hannan was a top four
stay-at-homer/shutdown pair in the NHL for the better part of a decade, but at
34 he is now a third pair guy who can also chip in on the penalty killing
outfit. He signed a one-year deal for $1 million last summer and should be able
to get a similar pact this July.

Filip Kuba, Florida – After signing him to a two-year deal
worth a total of $8 million last summer, the Panthers bought Kuba out this
summer. A top four, two-way defenseman since 2000-01, the 36-year-old Kuba can
still be effective in that role on a good team. He was Erik Karlsson’s partner
in Ottawa when Karlsson won the Norris Trophy in 2012. Kuba also plays both
special teams. He is big but not physical, moves the puck well and has
mobility. He’d make a good lefty No. 4 for a team in need at this stage of his
career and should come in around $3 million or less.

Doug Murray, Pittsburgh – Murray is a big (6-foot-3, 245)
physical defenseman who relishes the physical aspects of the game. He didn’t
have much mobility in his prime and has even less now at the age of 33. Never a
workhorse in terms of minutes, Murray has averaged 20 minutes a night or more
only once in his eight seasons in the league. For most of his career in San
Jose, he was a 3/4 who was a go-to guy on the penalty kill. He’s still
frequently deployed while his team is down a man, but his minutes are now more
third pairing in nature. Murray earned $2.5 million a year over the last four
seasons and could draw a similar pact because of the dearth of defensemen on
the market.

Rob Scuderi, Los Angeles – The 35-year-old Scuderi figures
to be among the most sought-after free agents in this summer’s blueline class,
which says more about the class than it does about Scuderi. Scuderi was the
Pens’ No. 5 D when Pittsburgh won the Cup in 2009. He moved on to L.A. where he
was No 4 before sliding up to No. 3 because of an injury to Willie Mitchell in
2012-13. Scuderi is and always has been strictly a stay-at-homer; his career
high in points is 16 and he has tallied just seven goals in 585 career games.
He was fifth in the NHL among all defensemen with an average of 3:13 per game
in shorthanded ice time. With 30 hits in 48 games he can hardly be termed
“physical,” but Scuderi is a good fit paired with an offensive-minded partner.
He was paid $3.4 million annually over the last four seasons, and could get a
similar deal even though he’s four years older. It’s good to be an NHL
defenseman in July.

Ryan Whitney, Edmonton – Drafted fifth overall in 2002, Whitney
is still young enough (30) that you’d expect him to be the top pair player he
was in his prime, but there are some serious warning signs attached to him.
First of all, his ice time dwindled precipitously over the last two seasons on
the defensively challenged Oilers, and he was a frequent healthy scratch as
well. His mobility has been compromised by right knee and ankle ailments over
the last two seasons, and Whitney has looked like the shell of the player who
signed a six-year deal with Pittsburgh six summers ago. With his ice time and
production way down, his salary should follow accordingly. Whitney earned $4
million a season over the last six years; look for that to be cut in half. If
he’s healthy, he may still have upside. But that’s a big “if” right now.

Right Defensemen

Adrian Aucoin, Columbus – Two days after celebrating his 40th
birthday, Aucoin hits the free agent market. He has played 1,108 games with
seven different teams after being drafted in the fifth round in 1992. He had a
solid career that he should be very proud of, but at this stage he is a 6/7 who
could be useful as a mentor to a young defensive corps. That was his role with
the Blue Jackets last season, and if he ekes out another year in that role
somewhere in the NHL it will be for far less than the $2.25 million he was paid
in 2012-13.

Joe Corvo, Carolina – At 36, Corvo has to be seen now as a
third pair option who can chip in on the power play. He’s susceptible to poor
reads and plays in his own end and his minutes are down about 25 percent from
what they were from 2008-10. Although his ice time has dwindled, his production
has held steady, largely because of his power play minutes. He has already done
two tours of duty with the Hurricanes, and I’m not sure if they’re interested
in bringing him back. Corvo got a one-year deal from the Canes last summer that
paid him $2 million. He’ll be hard-pressed to improve upon that this summer.

Michal Rozsival, Chicago – Rozsival turns 35 just before the
start of the 2013-14 season. He has evolved from a top four, power play guy to
a third pair guy who is in and out of the lineup. Rozsival was the No. 5 in
Chicago last season where he helped the Hawks win the Cup. He doesn’t kill
penalties and is prone to defensive zone mistakes and poor coverage, as we saw
at times during the playoffs. He earned $2 million on a one-year deal last
summer and is probably looking at something similar this July.

Ian White, Detroit – The 29-year-old White is a smallish
(5-foot-10, 199) rearguard whose main role is to move the puck safely and
contribute on the power play. After signing a two-year deal with the Wings two
summers ago, he had a strong first season in Motown. Often partnered with
Nicklas Lidstrom, White played 23 minutes a night while matching his career
high of 25 assists in 2011-12. With Lidstrom’s retirement, White struggled last
season. Although he averaged 19:35 a game, he was a frequent scratch and often
played 16-17 minutes when he was in the lineup. White managed just two goals and
four points in 25 games, the worst offensive season os his career. He’s likely
looking at a one-year deal for much less than the $2.875 million he averaged
annually with the Wings.

Marek Zidlicky, New Jersey – The 36-year-old Zidlicky hits
the market after two seasons in the Devils’ top four. Zidlicky doesn’t kill
penalties, but he is an effective power play component. Eleven of his 19 points
last season came with the extra man. Zidlicky’s value is almost entirely in
what he brings offensively. He can be an adventure in his own end, and figures
to be on the wane at this point of his career. He’s coming off a deal that paid
him $4 million annually over the last three years. Zidlicky won’t exceed that
deal this summer, but he might get close to a similar deal if he is matched
with a team in need of a power play boost.